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Ghosts of Van Nuys Blvd













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Some of the cars that cruised Van Nuys Blvd in it's Heyday
















  Looking for pictures and information on cars that cruised the boulevard in the 60's and 70's. If you would like to see your car listed here, hot rods, muscle cars, lowriders...whatever car you were driving back then, send us a picture along with some info on the car to wildbunchcarclub@aol.com We'll be happy to put it up for you....
















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Fantasia...One of the wildest cars to cruise the Blvd...Big block Ford, Top-loader  4-speed, 9 inch Locker rear end...Built by "Got'cha", later owned by Bill Thompson...Whereabouts today...Unknown...

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Gary Mailhot's "RATTATTACK"
   The Name Says it All!!!

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Howard Lytle's "Indian Summer"
Looks the Same Today as it Did
in 1975....




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Larry Dixon Sr...'55 Chevy

         
         

BUILT 65-67 ... 30A 327SBC... MONDELLO HEADS 13.75 COMP ...ALUM RODS
... B/M HYDROSTICK ...5.86 OLDS REAR SUMMERS BROS SPOOL&AXLES ...USED BOTH EDELBROCK&WEIAND TUNNEL RAMS
[NITROUS HIDDEN INSIDE WEIAND TUNNEL 3BARREL HOLLY]
STILL HAVE THE CAR I'M 64>JOHN LINDSTROM SO CAL

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The Noto family car since new in '62... 406, Tri-Power, 4-speed...And still in the family today...

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Tony Noto's '51 Austin

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Tony Noto's '67 Nova..."Time in a Bottle"...

   
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This one came to us a little vague on the info...Says Rick with '55 Chevy, 327, 4 speed, 4:56 gears...

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Peter Koretz sent this picture of his '65 Corvette. 327/365hp, 4 speed and triple tail lights along with a '67 Stinger hood. Picture was taken on Van Nuys Blvd. across from the Federal Building

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This is Peter's '78 Z28...Picture was also taken on Van Nuys Blvd...

   
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This is our 1970 BOSS 429 posing for this picture. Purchased new by Andy&Nancy Eszenszky in 1970. Of course this is the Lions dragstrip, but we made the appearance at Orange county and the old Irwindale when it was a quarter mile dragstrip. Our BOSS 429 cruised Van Nuys Blvd  a lot I used to work at the G.M. plant on Van Nuys Blvd the second shift and the wife and my son would meet me for lunch.

Sent by N.Eszensky

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This is my 1969 Z/28 Camaro (photo taken in about 1977) and I still own it today. I used to take this car to Van Nuys Blvd every Wednesday night and to the Street Races that met at the Bank of America back lot every Saturday night.

 

This car ran 13.90’s at 103mph back in the ‘70’s (302ci, Off-Road cam, open headers, 4-speed, 4.10 gears). –Bob Mehlhoff

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Mike Klop's '68 VW van. With 57 SCREAMING horses under the hood...

Don't open it up, you'll let 'em out!

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1968 VW "Sundial" (after-market) Camper Bus, which my Dad bought new in '68 at a VW dealer in Montebello.
I added U.S. Mags, shag carpeting, fur bedspread,
hang 10 pedals and 8 Track Quadrophonic sound .
No engine mods (except for a chrome air filter bay).
 And mike's dad radiused the rear wheel wells....

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Edee with Mike 1975

 

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Gypsy Rose

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Dale's 1969 Super Bee...
Cruised Van Nuys in the late 70's
and still owns it today..

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Mid engine, chopped top, 440 powered wheel standing Dodge van

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Bruce Lehman... "Sour Mouse "

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Rikki Kirchner sent us some shots of the '73 Celica she cruised in 1979.  Now I know it's an import, but the styling reeks 70's with the bubble flares,  Vector wheels and Farrah hair. AND it was cruised on Van Nuys Blvd. I am happy to report that Rikki now goes the other way.

No not that!...She drives an American car...

 
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Boyd Fiedler's 1965 Dodge Coronet

Boyd Fiedler came back out to Van Nuys Blvd  for the first time in over 30 years. He had one of the best quotes yet about VNB..." When people find out I'm from Van Nuys they ask " Did you cruise like American Graffiti? I tell them American graffiti was for amatuers.... We lived it AND did it better....And we wouldn't have rolled the '55......"

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"Got'cha" towing "Wild 1" '37 Chevy Gasser (Former KS Pittman car) with his '40 Ford Coupe (still owns it) looking for a race in front of the car wash at Van Nuys & Burbank.
Also in the picture are Diane Goms & Wild Bunch member Harlan Brown.
Picture was taken around 1973. "Wild 1" is still being raced today with a planned restoration to it's Van Nuys days look. It is now in Oklahoma

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Mike Golembeski 1969 Z-28 and John Braden 1969 Penske built Trans Am Camaro

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Mike Golembeski 1965 Impala SS 396

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Bob Mosher's Wedge

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"Wild 1" As It Looks Today

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"Wild 1" on the Track & in Street Form

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Bill Thompson's '69 Camaro

   
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Mike Johnson's '69 Chevelle "Long Gone Silver"

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George Stewart's Dodge Coronet, "Night Stalker"

     
         
         
         
         
         

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Douglas Rudd's '70 Mach I

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 Mike Johnson & Mike Golembesky on the cover of PHR at Jack in the Box on Van Nuys Blvd 1977

     
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Pat Witt Correll's 1970 SS 396 Chevelle "Loco Motion"

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Ralph Rosen's  '67 Camaro RS/SS
               Convertible

     
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 Jon Secrist's 1970 Plymouth Superbird 440 Six Pak

       
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This is the Noblemen plaque used from the late 1950's until the early 1960's. The plaque gave way to 2 1/2 by 4 inch decals that looked just like the plaques. As we got older decals seemed to be the way to go, if you look around a few of us still have Noblemen decals in our cars.
The Noblemen car club was made up of cars that were fast for the day, there were no slow cars allowed. The club was made up of all makes of cars, some factory hot rods like 348 and 409 four speed Chevies, 352-427 four speed Fords, 318-426 Dodge and Plymouths cross rams, older cars with engine swaps, Corvettes etc.... If it was quick you were in.
Larry O'Connell Member of the Noblemen Car Club Van Nuys

       
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My 1956 Chevy with a fuel injected, solid lifter 327 engine. The engine came out of a new Corvette that was totalled, the injection was taken off and replaced with an AFB four barrel, and headers were added. The car was a three speed on the column with 4.11 gears, traction bars and cheater slicks. Frequent cruiser on Van Nuys Blvd between 1963 and 1964. The car was a bit of a sleeper and fairly fast quick car for the period.
Larry O'Connell Member of Noblemen Car Club Van Nuys

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My 1966 Chevelle SS396 four speed racing at San Fernando Drag Strip in early 1966. This was one of the first SS396 Chevelles sold by GM. A frequent cruiser on Van Nuys Blvd as well as raced at the local drag strips; trophy winner at San Fernando Drag Strip.
After the car was stolen, it was recovered by the police stripped of engine and transmission. I installed a 327 and continued to race it in a lower class, it was a multiple winner and set a record along the way. With our unit ready to go to Viet Nam in 1968, I sold the car while in the army in Washington. This is one car that I should have kept.
Larry O'Connell Member of the Noblemen Car Club of Van Nuys

     
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My 1958 Ford an early production car with a solid lifter 352 engine. Ford only produced this engine with machined heads and solid lifters for a couple of months due to Ford abidding by the AMA racing ban (this lasted with Ford for two years until they realized GM and Chyrsler were not abidding by the ban), all later engines were cast heads with hydraulic lifters; and much slower cars; referred by many as dogs.
Photo's are at Riverside International Raceway for the last 1/2 mile drag race put on by SCTA Southern California Timing Association. SCTA is well known for dry lakes racing, but did put on 1/2 mile drag races during the rainy season for a couple of years. Cars are lined up on turn 9 and used the back straight away for drag racing. We were not supposed to, but many of us tried our hand on the esses when returning to the starting line. Curves and drag cars don't mix. I borrowed large tires to offset my 4.11 gears for the 1/2 mile verse 1/4 mile race.
Frequent Van Nuys cruiser between 1962 and 1964, as well as raced a various drag strips in Southern California.
Larry O'Connell Member of the Noblemen Car Club of Van Nuys

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People often wonder what happened to all those cars from back in the day. Well, Larry sent us a couple of those pictures as well.......

       
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This 1956 Chevy was a frequent cruiser of Van Nuys Blvd in 1960 and 1961, as well as a weekly race car at San Fernando Drag Strip. This shows what happens when you are young and don't respect wet streets. Larry O'Connell

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This is my 1960 Ford Starliner that was very rare. Ford made 50 cars in 1960 with a 360 HP FE engine, most came in Starliner as the engine option was expensive. Some say another 50 were made later in 1960, I cannot confirm this.
It came with an aluminum intake, holly, 360 degree open air cleaner, machined high compression heads with big valves, forged dish pistons to keep compression at 10 to 1,solid lifter cam, cast free flow headers, Borg Warner T-85 three speed with over drive and a 9 inch rear-end with 4.11 gears. This was a Van Nuys Blvd cruiser in 1962-1963 as well as a multiple trophy winner at San Fernando Drag Strip. This engine later became the 375 HP 390 in 1961, the 405 HP 406 in 1962, the 425 HP 427 cu in engine in 1963. The 427 FE engine went on to fame in NASCAR. Heads were later used on the 428 Cobra Jet. I sold this car in 1963 to a friend, the photo shows the effects of drinking and driving.
Larry O'Connell Member of the Noblemen car club of Van Nuys between 1961 and 1968.

     
         
         
         
         

Richard McCloskey Sent These Pictures of People Hanging Out in the Summer of '72

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Here's some pics from June 1968.  the meeting area was behind the Panorama city shopping center. Now a 24 hour fitness.  We would then cruise together to the Sherman Oaks park parking lot across from Bobs.  On this night our club, the Independent Bugs Volkswagen Assn (red jackets) hosted a Van Nuys run and Zuma beach party with the Newport Beach Volkswagen Assn (Blue jackets).  We had so many cars that the LAPD blocked off Van Nuys from the parking lot to the west bound 101 onramp in order for us to get out of town.
enjoy, Glenn

Here's some pics from June 1968.  the meeting area was behind the Panorama city shopping center. Now a 24 hour fitness.  We would then cruise together to the Sherman Oaks park parking lot across from Bobs.  On this night our club, the Independent Bugs Volkswagen Assn (red jackets) hosted a Van Nuys run and Zuma beach party with the Newport Beach Volkswagen Assn (Blue jackets).  We had so many cars that the LAPD blocked off Van Nuys from the parking lot to the west bound 101 onramp in order for us to get out of town.
enjoy, Glenn
Here's some pics from June 1968.  the meeting area was behind the Panorama city shopping center. Now a 24 hour fitness.  We would then cruise together to the Sherman Oaks park parking lot across from Bobs.  On this night our club, the Independent Bugs Volkswagen Assn (red jackets) hosted a Van Nuys run and Zuma beach party with the Newport Beach Volkswagen Assn (Blue jackets).  We had so many cars that the LAPD blocked off Van Nuys from the parking lot to the west bound 101 onramp in order for us to get out of town.
enjoy, Glenn

   

Wild Bunch Car Club member Harlan Brown being pulled over by LA's Finest.
Tried to cite him for no front bumper on his Superbird!

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Photo's from "Auto Buff" magazine..

                 

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